Ant-Man & the Wasp (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Ant-Man & the Wasp' (directed by Peyton Reed) is Marvel's sequel to 2015's Ant-Man, and it takes place btwn. the events of Captain America: Civil War & this yr.'s Avengers: Infinity War. Loveable goofball Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) spends his time lately playing with his adorable 10 yr. old daughter while counting the waning days 'til his house arrest -- a consequence of his decision to come to "Cap's" aid in Civil War/disobeying the Sokovia Accords -- is over. Meanwhile, his former colleagues, Hope "The Wasp" van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly, of Lost fame) & her brilliant father/his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), are on the run from the authorities, using their advanced quantum technology to run an ant lab.
When Hope & Hank find out that there's a smalllll possibility that Hank's long-missing, miniaturized wife, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), is alive & wandering somewhere trapped for 30 yrs. in the sub-atomic Quantum Realm, they smuggle Scott out of his house & coerce him into helping them locate & rescue her; as he had once mind-melded with her & their quantum psychic connection is strong {I know ... this is difficult to grasp}. Complications arise, however, in the form of a few villains & enigmatic characters: unctuous black market broker, Sonny Burch (weasely Walter Goggins), disgruntled former colleague of Hanks, Dr. Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne), FBI/S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), & most notably, "The Ghost", aka Ava (Hannah John-Kamen), who painfully {to put it lightly} phases in-&-out of the physical realm & blames Hank Pym for her cursed ailment.
So, 'Ant-Man & the Wasp' is fine. Insubstantial. Mildly diverting. And it contains an engaging, emotional final 20 min. which brings my rating to the realm of 'solidly okay/recommendable'. In a way, maybe some audiences will enjoy this more lighthearted offering than the more bludgeoning intensity of an Infinity War -- I could see that. I just felt like a lot of the proceedings - when characters weren't yakking in confusing pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo - consisted of ordinary happenstance peppered with inconsistent jokes. I didn't care much for Scott's X-Con Security team of comic-relief sidekicks: Michael Pena's Luis, Rapper T.I.'s Dave or David Dastmalchian's Kurt. And the villains are fairly 'no one cares', too. Walter Coggins' Sonny made NO impact; he was comical, really. The FBI/S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was also played for laughs. And "The Ghost" wasn't terrifying in so much that she was simply another victim; being an overly ambitious scientist's daughter.
I don't want to get too negative, here. Paul Rudd is a joy, as always. Michelle Pfeiffer stands out in the few scenes she has; bringing loveliness & some real 'heart' to the film. Everyone is fine or better-than-fine in their roles. As mentioned, the action is stellar. And the special effects are pretty spectacular. Every time someone went miniaturized or huge-ified ... the effect is brilliant & fun. In order to play himself as a young father/original Ant-Man, Michael Douglas underwent an incredible digital facelift; and even MORE impressive is how a young Michelle Pfeiffer turned out -- scarily good. I also like that this is the 1st MCU film featuring a titular female superhero. In the end, the plot is 'minor' & this film is 'minor' in the MCU. If the scientific explanations wear you down, just try to enjoy the light proceedings, genial performances & put-a-smile-on-your-face special effects wizardry.
When Hope & Hank find out that there's a smalllll possibility that Hank's long-missing, miniaturized wife, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), is alive & wandering somewhere trapped for 30 yrs. in the sub-atomic Quantum Realm, they smuggle Scott out of his house & coerce him into helping them locate & rescue her; as he had once mind-melded with her & their quantum psychic connection is strong {I know ... this is difficult to grasp}. Complications arise, however, in the form of a few villains & enigmatic characters: unctuous black market broker, Sonny Burch (weasely Walter Goggins), disgruntled former colleague of Hanks, Dr. Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne), FBI/S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), & most notably, "The Ghost", aka Ava (Hannah John-Kamen), who painfully {to put it lightly} phases in-&-out of the physical realm & blames Hank Pym for her cursed ailment.
So, 'Ant-Man & the Wasp' is fine. Insubstantial. Mildly diverting. And it contains an engaging, emotional final 20 min. which brings my rating to the realm of 'solidly okay/recommendable'. In a way, maybe some audiences will enjoy this more lighthearted offering than the more bludgeoning intensity of an Infinity War -- I could see that. I just felt like a lot of the proceedings - when characters weren't yakking in confusing pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo - consisted of ordinary happenstance peppered with inconsistent jokes. I didn't care much for Scott's X-Con Security team of comic-relief sidekicks: Michael Pena's Luis, Rapper T.I.'s Dave or David Dastmalchian's Kurt. And the villains are fairly 'no one cares', too. Walter Coggins' Sonny made NO impact; he was comical, really. The FBI/S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was also played for laughs. And "The Ghost" wasn't terrifying in so much that she was simply another victim; being an overly ambitious scientist's daughter.
I don't want to get too negative, here. Paul Rudd is a joy, as always. Michelle Pfeiffer stands out in the few scenes she has; bringing loveliness & some real 'heart' to the film. Everyone is fine or better-than-fine in their roles. As mentioned, the action is stellar. And the special effects are pretty spectacular. Every time someone went miniaturized or huge-ified ... the effect is brilliant & fun. In order to play himself as a young father/original Ant-Man, Michael Douglas underwent an incredible digital facelift; and even MORE impressive is how a young Michelle Pfeiffer turned out -- scarily good. I also like that this is the 1st MCU film featuring a titular female superhero. In the end, the plot is 'minor' & this film is 'minor' in the MCU. If the scientific explanations wear you down, just try to enjoy the light proceedings, genial performances & put-a-smile-on-your-face special effects wizardry.